Following protests over its decision, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday clarified it has not declared a “silence zone” at the Amarnath cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas. A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said that due silence has to be maintained only in front of the ice stalagmite resembling the ‘Shivalinga.’ The NGT on December 13 declared the cave shrine as a “silence zone” and prohibited religious offerings beyond the entry point. It had earlier said that declaring the area around the Amarnath cave shrine a “silence zone” would be helpful in preventing avalanches and maintaining its pristine nature.
Following protests over its decision, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday clarified it has not declared a “silence zone” at the Amarnath cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas. A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said that due silence has to be maintained only in front of the ice stalagmite resembling the ‘Shivalinga.’ The NGT on December 13 declared the cave shrine as a “silence zone” and prohibited religious offerings beyond the entry point. It had earlier said that declaring the area around the Amarnath cave shrine a “silence zone” would be helpful in preventing avalanches and maintaining its pristine nature.